Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Online Searching In Pbl Tutorials, Jun Jin, Susan M. Bridges, Michael G. Botelho, Lap Ki Chan

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

This study aims to explore how online searching plays a role during PBL tutorials in two undergraduate health sciences curricula, Medicine and Dentistry. Utilizing Interactional Ethnography (IE) as an organizing framework for data collection and analysis, and drawing on a critical theory of technology as an explanatory lens, enabled a textured understanding of student practices and beliefs regarding online searching during face-to-face PBL tutorials. Two event maps trace key transitions in learning regarding online searching in one cycle of problem-based learning in each program. From a critical perspective, analysis of students’ stimulated recall interviews indicated that the use of students’ …

What Superintendents Should Do To Position Their Districts To Be Prepared For The Changing Nature Of Technology In The Next Ten Years: A Delphi Study, Ean Ainsworth

Dissertations

Over the past twenty years, schools and districts have been faced with the challenge of integrating technology into their classroom instruction. The rapid rate of evolution that technology changes has placed new burdens on school and district leaders to plan meaningful professional development, create and develop effective policy, and focus on school and district culture. In the coming years, the changing nature of technology is not expected to slow down and most certainly will accelerate. The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify what K-12 superintendents should do to position their districts to be prepared for the changing nature …

A Qualitative Study On How Health Professional Students And Their Pbl Facilitators Perceive The Use Of Mobile Devices During Pbl, Lap Ki Chan, Susan M. Bridges, Iain Doherty, Manwa L. Ng, Jun Jin, Neel Sharma, Nam Kiu Chan, Henrietta Yan Yu Lai

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

Mobile devices are increasingly being used by undergraduate students to access online information in the problem-based learning (PBL) process, initially in the self-directed phase, and more recently within face-to-face tutorials. This qualitative study across three undergraduate health professional programs used semi-structured interviews to investigate facilitators’ and students’ perceptions of mobile device usage in PBL tutorials. Transcribed interviews were analyzed thematically, drawing on the principles of grounded theory. Implications for future practice were identified. Students perceived that mobile devices are useful and convenient for instant access to various sources of information, for note taking, and for visually sharing their research and …

Social Constructivism And Case-Writing For An Integrated Curriculum, Alison F. Doubleday, Blase Brown, Philip A. Patston, Pamela Jurgens-Toepke, Meaghan Driscoll Strotman, Anne Koerber, Colin Haley, Charlotte Briggs, G. William Knight

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

Case-writing within an integrated, systems-based health professions education curriculum presents many unique challenges. Specifically, case-writing in this context must consider integration of multidisciplinary learning objectives and synthesis of biomedical and clinical sciences. Establishing an effective process for content integration and determining who should be involved in the case-writing process can be a daunting task and this specific context requires a new model for effective casewriting. This paper provides a model for the cycle of case development, implementation, evaluation and modification in an integrated, systems-based health professions curriculum. We highlight how this collaborative case-writing model parallels the social constructivist approach promoted …

Traveling Trunks: Enrich Curriculum With A Global Perspective, Nancy Shepherd

Faculty Publications

Traveling trunks as a delivery method for curricula have been associated with experiential learning and shown to increase learning (George, 2010; Shepherd, 2007; Lett, 1993). Students learn through real-life experiences, such as global social issues (Kister, 1992), and principal to the nature of learning is the relationship between experience and learning, a shaping force in the development of thoughtful, curious students (Loughran, 2006).

The embedded mixed method study showed learning gains occurred when experiential curriculum was facilitated by experienced teachers, and delivered in a traveling trunk. The study (N=58) showed that active learning about social issues engages students. Paired t-tests …

Recurrent Phenomenon Of Divine Intervention In The Recruitment Of Teachers At The American Christian Academy: A Narrative Inquiry, Karen Ann Nwulu

Master of Education Program Theses

This narrative inquiry investigated the recurrent phenomenon of divine interventions in teacher recruitment at the American Christian Academy (ACA), a hard-to-staff K-12 school located in Ibadan, Nigeria. Inhibiting factors such as Boko Haram kidnappings and the Ebola outbreak stymied the already challenging international recruitment efforts, with half the elementary school teacher positions still vacant two weeks before the start of the 2014-2015 school year. However, through supernatural intervention all staff positions were filled. This narrative research presents an account of five such stories told from the perspectives of the recruited teachers as well as other staff members who observed or …

Gender Bias In Teacher Interactions With Students, Kaily Stevens

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study investigated the presence of gender bias, in the form of more teacher attention, in a Christian middle school in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Eight teachers of grades six to eight participated in the study. Teachers were observed for two 20-minute lessons. Each interaction between teacher and student was coded as either academic or behavioural in nature, as well as either positive, negative or neutral. The results of this study suggest that boys receive more teacher attention than do girls in the school. As well, girls tend to receive fewer behavioural type interactions with teachers than boys. …

Technology, Mathematics And The Flourishing Of The Elementary Student, Judy De Waal

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study investigated the effects of using technology as part of the instruction and implementation in a primary mathematics classroom, determining if such technology would make a difference in increased student performance. The participants were 71 first grade students, 32 making up the control group, and 39 involved in the experimental group. The experimental group spent 40 minutes per week using a technology-based platform as part of their math instruction. They also had access to this technology outside of school. All students were given a pre- and post-test to determine growth in their learning. The results of this …

Wiki'd Transformations: Technology Supporting Collaborative Learning, Bill Hunter, Roger Austin

Stream 6: Global University

This paper examines the uses of wikis in teaching in higher education. It was developed in support of a workshop offered at the Higher Education in Transformation conference in Dublin, Ireland, in March, 2015. The paper describes one author’s use of a wiki over a period of five years to support graduate students in their study of principles of learning, reviews some of the literature on educational applications of wikis and suggests directions for future research.

Creating Space In The Curriculum For Workplace And Generic Skills, Brian Campbell

Stream 6: Global University

There are competing forces affecting university credibility. On the one hand there is credibility in the competitive academic environment that results in the expansion of the curriculum. And on the other hand there are the increasing pressures from outside the academy for university graduates to have economically relevant workplace skills. In this paper I analyze some of the difficulties that result from these competing pressures and speculate on how they might be resolved. The example of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology is used as a new university in attempting to establish its credibility. I suggest that collegial review …

Community Building In Online Pbl Courses: Instigating Criticality, Elizabeth Childs, Roland Van Oostveen, Kathleen Flynn, Jessica Clarkson

Stream 6: Global University

As post secondary institutions continue to endeavor to address changing stakeholder expectations and policy directions, new curriculum models that allow for choice and learner flexibility are required. One approach that shows promise in this area is online problem-based learning (PBL). This paper discusses a case-study of the implementation of a problem-based learning pedagogical framework that fosters the development of meaningful teacher-learner; learner-learner, and learner-content relationships (vanOostveen & Desjardins, 2013) in an online Bachelor’s program in adult education and digital technology. Within this context, the attributes and affordances of a program design model on facilitating online community are examined.

You're And Your, Stella Rich

Grammar Fair Posters

This poster was created by a UNE teacher education candidate for use in a mini-lesson on the words Your and You’re, which students often confuse. During the lesson, students were given the rule for when to use each of the words correctly and the tip that when using “you’re” they can substitute you are in place of the word and when using “your” they can substitute the word my in its place to see what makes sense. After students went over the words they were each given either “your” or “you’re” on a star and asked to Velcro the …

Then Or Than?, Jamie Buyak

Grammar Fair Posters

This poster was created by a UNE teacher education candidate for use in a mini-lesson on the words Then and Than, which students often confuse. During the lesson, students learned the rule for when to use each word correctly and this trick to help: use THEN when referring to time (both “then” and “time” contain the letter e) and THAN when comparing things (both “than” and “compare” contain the letter a). Once students learned the rule they were each given the words then and than and a sentence was presented. Students were asked to come up and Velcro the …

Prefixes, Christine Beecher

Grammar Fair Posters

This poster was created by a UNE teacher education candidate for use in a mini-lesson on Prefixes. During the lesson, students first were taught what prefixes are and how they are combined with a root word to alter the meaning of the root word. Students then were each given index cards—some with prefixes and some with root words. They had to match up their prefix with someone else’s root word to make a new word and then share this with the group. Certain common prefixes such as un, dis, pre, non, re, ex, mis, bi and con were emphasized. …

Synonyms, Saige Sturvist

Grammar Fair Posters

This poster was created by a UNE teacher education candidate for use in a mini-lesson on Synonyms. During the lesson, the teacher first explained what synonyms were and gave some examples. Students then were given some predetermined words and were asked to match their word (written on an orange straw) with its synonym written on the outside of a cup. They were asked to put the word in the cup with the related synonym. To conclude the lesson, students generated their own words that matched a word on a synonym cup and the teacher challenged the students to come …

Sit’S Low-Residency Master Of Arts In Tesol Program: Principles And Practices In Online Teaching And Learning, Jaime Durham

MA TESOL Collection

Coursework in the revisioned Low-Residency Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages program at SIT Graduate Institute takes place primarily online. In this paper, the author examines the first two years of the program (which launched in 2013) from her experience as the program coordinator to illustrate how the MAT program’s foundational educational principles influence the program in the e-learning environment. The author uses the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework to give an overview analysis of the design and implementation of the online courses, to measure levels of social and cognitive presence among students, and to …

The Impact Of Exclusionary School Discipline Policies And An Analysis Of Alternative Approaches To Punishment, Harvard Law School Mississippi Delta Project

Delta Directions: Publications

This report evaluates out-of-school suspension (OSS) in the context of the Clarksdale Municipal School District (CMSD) using research based in positive behavioral systems and alternative approaches to exclusionary punishment. Not only does OSS detrimentally impact suspended students hindering their learning and increasing their risk harmful behaviors, but OSS also has harmful collateral effects on the larger student body, the economy, public safety, and society. This report aims to identify particular problems associated with OSS as well as offer solutions, specifically examining Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) through a local school case study, discussing effective teacher training for these types …

Making Oral Communication A Successful Part Of The Common Core, Jon A. Hess

Communication Faculty Publications

Adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) represents the first time that oral communication has been included in the curriculum requirements for K–12 education in many states. If done well, this change will provide important benefits to students. However, effective implementation will require collaboration among policymakers, educators, and experts in oral communication.

As educators work to strengthen primary and secondary education in the United States, many agree that schools need educational standards that are grounded in today’s needs and shared across states. The CCSS have emerged as a potential solution, and the majority of states have adopted these standards. …

Self-Management Program To Handle Social/Emotional Baggage In The Classroom, Lisa N. Hines

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study investigated the effects of teaching students to use a self-management tool in a fourth/fifth grade general education and science classroom at Master's Academy in Chicago, Illinois. Seven students who come from a range of broken homes exhibited effects of their home lives in their academic and social learning. These students were taught to assess their abilities both academically (spelling) and socially (teamwork) and then to set weekly goals for improvement in these areas. Weekly goal setting took place over a four week period during the third quarter of academic year 2014-2015. Students' accomplishments were celebrated weekly. …

“Analyze, Acquire, Apply, And Write” As A New Learning Model In Science, Jeong Choe

Faculty Publications & Research

I have developed a new teaching and learning model called AAAW, which stand for Analyze, Acquire, Apply and Write. This model grows from action research and unique experience in teaching a biochemistry course to high school students who are talented in math and science. In this model, students first "Analyze" lab data to generate questions that lead them to "Acquire" background knowledge. Students then go back to the data and "Apply" their new knowledge to better understand the data. Finally, students "Write" about the connections they make from their reading, data analysis, and application of the data. The rationale behind …

Ua64/2 The Challenge: Magazine For The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 36, Spring 2015), Center For Gifted Studies, Tracy Inman Editor

Gifted Studies Publications

No abstract provided.

Re-Imagining Our Curriculum: Critiquing Meaningful Reflection And Threshold Concepts In Practice Education: Knowing It All, Aoife Prendergast

Stream 2: Curriculum

Humanities education, particularly in the areas of early childhood education and applied social studies must engage with professional practice education. There is urgency for the need for practitioners and educationalists to communicate, and for practitioners to be aware of developments in educational theory. The idea of ‘threshold concepts’ is currently widely discussed by educationalists. Threshold concepts are described as areas of knowledge without which the learner cannot progress, and which, when grasped, lead to a transformation in the learner’s perspective and understanding. Much is known about the purpose of placement educators, but how their role is implemented is subject to …

Physical Activity And Time-On-Task, Lisa Mouw

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research project explored the effects of physical activity to time-on-task. The participants in this study were 24 sixth grade students in a language arts classroom at a PK-8 Christian elementary school in the mid-western states. Students were observed to determine time-on-task for the first twenty-five minutes of class. A no-treatment period was observed in order to create a baseline, followed by a treatment period to demonstrate any increase or decrease in overall time-on-task. Three-minute activity breaks were implemented at the beginning of the class time during the treatment period. These breaks included a combination of cardio- and skill-based …

Improving Number Sense Using Number Talks, Kelsie Ruter

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study examines the effects of using number talks instruction in the second grade classroom on number sense/critical thinking in mathematics. The sample included 47 students from two second grade classes in two suburban public elementary schools serving mostly upper middle class neighborhoods. For four weeks in the middle of the second trimester, an experimental group was exposed to the teaching of math through number talks, in addition to their regular math instruction. A control group was instructed using their regular methods and curriculum. Both groups were given a pretest and posttest of “rich math tasks.” Comparison data …

The Effects Of An Early Intervention Mastery Activity In The Mathematics Department, Nathan Wakefield, Joe Champion, Doug Dailey, Jessalyn Bolkema

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, nearly 1000 students sign up for one of College Algebra, or College Algebra and Trigonometry every fall. Of these students, more than 75% are first time freshman. Finding ways to motivate and encourage these students together with early identification strategy for struggling students is critical to success not just in the math course, but also in a student’s university career. This presentation will discuss the design and outcomes an early intervention mastery activity with the broad goals of helping students recall previously learned mathematics, and identifying students who are at risk for failure, all within …

Teaching Tolkien: Language, Scholarship, And Creativity, Adam Kotlarczyk

Faculty Publications & Research

Why Tolkien?

Let us start with the obvious—if cynical—question, almost certain to come from a skeptical administrator or colleague: why would any serious, self-respecting English teacher want to teach an author whose work is about dragons, fairies, and the fantastic? With all the increased attention to standardized testing and with the demand for rigor in read- ings in the average English curriculum, choosing a popular text might raise eyebrows among critics. The question that an English teacher may be asked (or indeed, may ask him- or herself) is: doesn't teaching Tolkien as "serious" literature just fan those flames?

Marie Clay's Search For Effective Literacy Instruction: A Contribution To Reading Recovery And Small-Group Teaching, Salli Forbes, Linda J. Dorn

Curriculum & Instruction Faculty Publications

This year Reading Recovery^® celebrates 30 years in the U.S., where more than 50,000 Reading Recovery-trained teachers have served over 2.2 million children in Reading Recovery lessons during this time period. In addition, these Reading Recovery teachers have instructed approximately 8.8 million other children in small group or classroom settings during the same 3 decades. Reading Recovery has a solid research base that is recognized by the USDE What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) as the strongest of all beginning reading programs reviewed (WWC, 2008, 2013). The benefit and effectiveness of Reading Recovery are widely recognized—as demonstrated in reviews by the …

The Molecular Biology Capstone Assessment: A Concept Assessment For Upper-Division Molecular Biology Students, Brian A. Couch, William B. Wood, Jennifer K. Knight

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Measuring students’ conceptual understandings has become increasingly important to biology faculty members involved in evaluating and improving departmental programs. We developed the Molecular Biology Capstone Assessment (MBCA) to gauge comprehension of fundamental concepts in molecular and cell biology and the ability to apply these concepts in novel scenarios. Targeted at graduating students, the MBCA consists of 18 multiple-true/false (T/F) questions. Each question consists of a narrative stem followed by four T/F statements, which allows a more detailed assessment of student understanding than the traditional multiple-choice format. Questions were iteratively developed with extensive faculty and student feedback, including validation through faculty …

Journal Of The National Collegiate Honors Council, Volume 16, Number 1, Spring/Summer 2015 (Complete Issue)

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Forum on “Honors and the future of the humanities”

Larry Andrews

Frances McCue

Angela Marie Salas

Andrew Martino

Amaris Ketcham

Annmarie Guzy

Barbra Nightingale

Joe Kraus

Research essay

Naomi Yavneh Klos, Kendall Eskine, and Michael Pashkevich

Portz-prize-winning essay, 2014

Sam Shearer

Documento Conceptual Sobre Redes De Excelencia Para La Investigación Y La Educación, Suresh V. Garimella, David B. Janes, Anne Slaughter Andrew

PPRI Digital Library

“Redes de Excelencia” focalizadas permitirán que las instituciones en América Latina desarrollen ecosistemas de investigación y educación de un modo mucho más rápido que si siguieran procesos "orgánicos" o locales. Una vez implementados, estos ecosistemas no solo permitirán profundas transformaciones que lleven a economías basadas en el conocimiento, sino que también desempeñarán roles claves en las redes necesarias para los sistemas de innovación regionales.

Para acelerar el desarrollo de ecosistemas de investigación y educación en toda América, los autores proponen establecer “Redes de Excelencia” en las áreas claves. Cada Red de Excelencia será multiinstitucional, multisectorial (universidad, empresa, gobierno, ONG) y …